Fire season starting out fast and furious: fireworks a threat as July 4th approaches

As we move into the peak of the fire season over the next three or four months, we wanted to see if looking back over the last few months can help us see whats coming.

SONOMA COUNTY, Calif. - As we move into the peak of the fire season over the next three or four months, we wanted to see if looking back over the last few months can help us see what's coming.

We're picking up more fires as it gets drier, with by far the biggest short-term threat, being fireworks everywhere turning the Golden State to ash and gray.

California is racking up lots of wildfires and acres burned. Oddly, the last three weeks of January were southern California's fire hell.

Fourteen destructive fires in six counties, including L.A.'s Palisades and Eaton fires consumed 90 square miles and claimed 30 lives, and destroyed or damaged 18,200 structures. The big dangers are now getting bigger in the north.

Firefighters battled a grass fire near Interstate Highway 580 near Livermore, Calif. on Tuesday, June 11, 2024.

"We've seen recently, in the last month, that fire activity has been picking up and we've had dispatches going out across northern California," said Cal Fire Public Information Officer Jason Clay.

Cal Fire's Sonoma Air Attack Base covers some of California's most wildfire-prone areas stretching far beyond the Bay Area. Tanker pilot Jerome Laval said, "Like this morning, we showed up and we had three fires already, just so and yesterday we stayed put all day long."

Those three fires were in San Jose, Rodeo, and Diablo. "Without any air support, it would be a catastrophe almost every other two fires," said pilot Laval.

Perhaps the most important consideration is never fly a drone around a fire zone, whether aircraft are present or not. An aircraft actually hit a drone and was damaged during the Palisades Fire. If that aircraft goes down, it's on you.

As of Monday, Cal Fire reports 2990 fires that have consumed some 93,000 acres. Last year, there were almost 500 less fires that consumed a little over half the acreage. The five-year average is less fires and acres than what we have now and the peak months, July, August, September and October are still ahead.

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